Takeda links with a London university to develop novel gastroenterology products

The UK’s Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and Takeda Pharmaceutical (TYO: 4502), Japan’s largest drugmaker, have entered a major research collaboration that aims to define new insights and develop novel therapies in gastroenterology. No financial terms of the accord were disclosed.

Gastrointestinal (GI) diseases and disorders in humans are poorly understood and inadequately treated. QMUL’s Neurogastroenterology Group aims to understand the neuromuscular control of GI function, with an emphasis on brain-gut interactions and GI motility. The focus of the research alliance announced today will be GI sensory and motor mechanisms underlying functional bowel disorders and GI motility disorders.

The collaboration will leverage the best science from both partners, including QMUL’s School of Medicine and Dentistry which has world-leading translational research facilities and expertise in gastroenterology, which will speed innovative drug discovery and development of new therapeutic approaches.